Expert: Steve Collins - 6/16/2009

Question
Dear Mr. Collins,

I have been living in major metropolis since I am 18 years old. I am now 50 and longing for another type of life, and willing to give my life a 180 degree turn for a better life. Besides my background in business, I am also an artist. Last year I spent two weeks in a workshop at Snowmass Village; and just fell in love with the area. Being an artist I found in Aspen the Mecca of art galleries. I would love to move to Aspen, but I have heard that it is extreme expensive to live there. Therefore, I wonder how this people who work in retail stores, coffee parlors, ice cream parlors, and other type of low end jobs can survive. At 50 and starting again from cero with the intentions to be a full time artist, that type of job is what I can find at the beginning. So my question is how one can survive in Aspen with a low salary type of job.

Thank you

Alfredo Alamo  

Answer
Honestly, it's REALLY tough.....

I lived in the Aspen area for a total of 10 years, and never got ahead financially (even though I was actually working some pretty well-paying jobs).  There are a few choices, but none of them are ideal.  I absolutely LOVED living there, but eventually I decided I wanted to move to an area that is almost as nice, but where I COULD actually end up buying a house.....

Many people working the entry level jobs get roommates--and a LOT of them.  A studio condo renting at $1200 per month becomes almost affordable if you have 2-3 other roommates--of course, you are sharing one large room (great for kids right out of college, but not as good for a 50 year old who is used to a bit of privacy)they ....

You can do better in terms of rent if you sign a year lease during the summer months.  Many landlords know they can get higher rent during the winter than they can in summer, so a winter-only lease will be much more expensive.  

There are also a lot of options through the Aspen/Pitkin County Housing Authority (www.aspenhousingoffice.com).  They manage "affordable" housing units throughout the county, so IF you can get one of those, they are more reasonably priced.

The other option is to live downvalley in places like Basalt, El 'Jebel, Carbondale, and/or Glenwood Springs.  Those towns tend to be less expensive, but then you have to commute up the valley (there IS regular bus service).

The reason I am stressing housing so much is that housing is THE major issue in that valley--if you can find a reasonable (meaning relatively inexpensive) place to live, you have half the battle won.  The local newspapers are the Aspen Daily News (www.aspendailynews.com) and the Aspen Times (www.aspentimes.com).  Most of the housing advertised there is going to be a bit more expensive, though.  You could also check on Craigslist (rockies.craigslist.org) to see if anyone has any rentals posted there.

The other thing is to make use of the "locals network".  Once you have established yourself as a "local", you typically no longer have to pay retail for much of anything.  Always ask for the "locals' discount", but be prepared to show ID if they don't know you.

Having said all that--living in Aspen is difficult, but DEFINITELY worth it!

Hope that helps!

Steve